THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 ATTFIELD STILL AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME FRONT ROLLS IN by Michael Adolphson FOR ALLEN The term >living legend= is tossed around ad nauseam in modern Thoroughbred racing times, with virtually any above-average senior horseman still able to tighten a girth being labeled such with either a splash or a deluge of hyperbole. Often simply an acknowledgment of longevity in an unforgiving game, the industry fastens on such a designation with deftness and doing so allows generations to connect and appreciate one another amid the timeline of a long and storied sport. Then there is Roger Attfield. For five decades, the native of Newbury, England, has accomplished an enviable amount of accolades and shows nary a sign of slowing down anytime soon. Cont. p6 Joseph Allen leads Declaration of War into winner=s circle IN TDN EUROPE TODAY Racing Post DETTORI BOOKS ROCK RIDE Frankie Dettori has picked up the mount on Fascinating by Jessica Martini Rock (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in the Irish Champion S. after Pat Smullen opted to stick with Harzand (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) Ask longtime owner/breeder Joseph Allen who the best horse Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. he=s been involved with is and there is no hesitation. AWar Front,@ Allen said assuredly. AHe=s like catching lightning in a bottle. It doesn=t get better.@ Allen bred and campaigned War Front (Danzig--Starry Dreamer, by Rubiano), who won the 2006 GII Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. and was second in that year=s GI Vosburgh S. and GI Forego S. But it was when the bay entered stud at Claiborne Farm in 2007 that he really became a star. AWe always liked him,@ Allen recalled of the future super stallion. AHe was born at Claiborne and we all liked him. But we had a lot of trouble with him, there were soundness issues. And we were very fortunate to get him to the races and to have him perform. While I thought he had a good record on the racetrack, I think we all felt he was probably a much better horse, but had a lot to overcome.@ War Front has left no doubt about his dominance in the stallion ranks. Currently commanding a $200,000 stud fee, he is the sire of 12 Grade/Group 1 winners, including champions Lines of Battle and Declaration of War and G1 Dewhurst S. winner War Command, all bred by Allen. Cont. p3 PRESIDENT & CO-PUBLISHER Barry Weisbord @barryweisbord [email protected] SR. V.P. & CO-PUBLISHER Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] V.P., INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] Thursday, September 8, 2016 EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN Associate Editors Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Ben Massam @BMassamTDN Assistant Editors Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistants Da Big Hoss (Lemon Drop Kid) is the big horse, indeed, in Saturday’s GIII Kentucky Turf Brittlan Wall @bwallTDN Cup at Kentucky Downs, where he has been installed as the 7-5 favorite to defend his Alexa Reisfield title in the lucrative main event. The well-traveled chestnut has won three straight Photo Editor/Dir. of Distribution races and three total graded stakes in 2016. For entries, see page 9 | Horsephotos Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew [email protected] Social Media Strategist STOPCHARGINGMARIA RETIRED FROM RACING 9 Nichola Henry @NicholaHenryTDN 2015 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Stopchargingmaria has been [email protected] retired from racing, Town and Country Racing announced Wednesday. The Todd Pletcher trainee wraps up her career with nine wins from 18 Director of Customer Service starts and earnings of $3,014,000. Vicki Forbes [email protected] Director of Information Technology TODAY’S GRADED STAKES Ray Villa [email protected] EDT Race 7:10a Prix des Chenes-G3, CHA WORLDWIDE INFORMATION 8:50a Prix d’Aumale-G3, CHA International Editor 9:25a Prix du Pin-G3, CHA Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN 9:30a May Hill S.-G2, DON [email protected] European Editor 10:05a Park Hill S.-G2, DON Emma Berry [email protected] Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 10 • THETDN.COM THURSDAY • SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 Front Rolls in for Allen (cont. from p1) won two races as a 2-year-old rather easily and then he had a major injury at the beginning of his 3-year-old year and we had The stallion has been in demand in the sales ring, as well. At to lay him up. We always thought he was very, very good and he last year=s Keeneland September Yearling Sale, War Front had had a chance to show us how good he was in his 4-year-old year. four offerings sell for seven figures and his 21 yearlings sold Aidan O=Brien did a wonderful job with him.@ averaged $600,714. As a 4-year-old in 2013, Declaration of War won the G1 AIt=s spectacular,@ Allen said of War Front=s record at stud. AYou Juddmonte International S. and G1 Queen Anne S. and was just have to be very fortunate to experience something like second in the G1 Eclipse S. and third in the G1 Sussex S. In his this.@ racing finale, he finished third in a Through the Taylor Made Sales Agency dramatic blanket finish behind Mucho consignment, Allen catalogues three Macho Man and Will Take Charge in the yearlings by War Front to next week=s GI Breeders= Cup Classic in his only start Keeneland September sale. While two on dirt. He entered stud in 2014 and have been withdrawn, he will offer hip stood this season at Ashford for $40,000. 466, a filly out of French stakes placed Allen=s trio of Book 1 offerings is Louve des Reves (Ire) (Sadler=s Wells), concluded by hip 371, a filly by Galileo who is a full-sister to group placed Omar (Ire) out of graded stakes winner Grande Bradley. Allen will also offer hip 437, a Melody (Ire) (Grand Lodge). colt from the first crop of Declaration of The trio of yearlings have a decidedly War. Out of La Conseillante (Elusive War Front | Horsephotos European flair which Allen hopes will Quality), the yearling is a half to multiple appeal to a diverse buying bench in group placed War Envoy (War Front). Lexington. AWe always liked Declaration of War--we liked him a lot--but AI think it=s an international market,@ Allen said of Keeneland he was a different type of horse [from War Front],@ Allen, who September. campaigned the bay in partnership with Coolmore, said. AHe TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 10 • THETDN.COM THURSDAY • SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 AAbout 15-20 years ago, I liquidated almost everything,@ he can. It just depends on what I can get for them. It=s a very hard explained. AAnd one of the ways that I got back into was business to balance and to expand in.@ basically buying European horses who were good over there on Allen currently has a broodmare band of 25 mares, up by the grass and I brought them here. And I had a certain amount about 10 head from recent years as he tries to increase the of success with that. We did that with American horses as long quality of his mares to keep up with War Front=s exploits. as we could find them that I liked with pedigree. So yes, [these AI really wasn=t trying to expand,@ Allen explained. AIt=s really yearlings] certainly do have a European pedigree.@ because some of my mares are starting to get old. I have some For Allen, who has been breeding daughters, but I don=t know how good racehorses for nearly four decades, his they are or how good they are going to sales offerings are simply a stab at fiscal be. So I felt like I had to really improve responsibility. on the qualities of the mares if I wanted AI like to race if I can, but like anything to continue to breed to War Front. I else, there is a certain cost to this bred three of my best mares to him business and you can=t cover it just when we had the magical season in racing unless you win everything,@ he 2013 when we had Declaration of War, explained. AYou really have to turn over we had Lines of Battle and also War horses. It=s a matter of finding a Command. Those were out of three of combination that works. I=m now in a my better mares and they are all old. So position to sell some stallion services. So Declaration of War | Racing Post photo I felt I needed not only get more volume, the revenue aspect is the race revenue, but also greater quality. I bought some which is not great, the sale of certain horses--that=s either selling yearlings which I think will help in the long run--fillies with good yearlings or horses I=ve tried off the racetrack or selling services. pedigrees.@ I try to put it together if I can. There is no magic formula for that. A native New Yorker, Allen first became involved in racehorse It=s not that I=m culling things, I=ll sell some of my best things if I ownership some 40 years ago, but he was always a fan.